In recent months, experiments investigating the total, non-elastic, transport, etc., cross-sections of U-238 have been performed. It is the purpose of this memo to examine these data and to obtain from them information which will be of use in refinements pile calculations. In cases, e.g. transport cross-sections, where experimental data do not suffice, the theory developed pertaining to the continuum model of the nucleus has been depended upon. One of the fundamental requirements of this model is that the spacings of the energy levels in the compound nucleus are small compared to their widths and that consequently many levels are excited by the incoming particles. As a result there are many more modes of decay and the continuum model is an average over these levels.

"A program of creep-rupture tests of several bars of Beryllium has been completed. The tests were made at 1200, 1400, 1550, and 1700 F. in protective atmospheres of tank helium or hydrogen. The results are given in a summary table and by creep and design curves. A description of the test set-up is included."

The chemical processing industry relies heavily on the use of rotary pumps to move massive quantities of liquids. The rotating elements of these pumps, generally of the deep-well turbine type, are submerged in the solution being pumped. This singular factor sometimes imposes a severe limitation on the choice bearings because the liquids are frequently corrosive and have poor lubricity. At the Hanford Atomic Products Operation a further complication arises from the effects of radioactivity in the solutions being transferred. Radiation and temperature can and will cause physical damage to many substances, including certain potential bearing materials such as plastics. These factors, coupled with the economics of remote operation and maintenance, have lead to the need for a test program to screen and evaluate potential bearing and journal materials.

Abstract: "The protection of thorium in hot water was studied. Copper electrocladding on thorium offers promising protection against hot water. The corrosion of thorium in 95 C water was reduced appreciably by a thorium phosphate film. The results of this abbreviated investigation offer a basis for the development of a method of protecting thorium at elevated temperatures in corrosive media."

When a slug has been displaced from its normal position the thickness of the water film is decreased over part of the surface, and higher temperatures may be expected where the film is thin. The experimental data necessary for an exact calculation is incomplete, but some approximate estimates ae made here with special assumption concerning the heat transfer coefficient h as a function of the angle p from the point where the water film is thinnest. Variation in water bulk temperature around the annulus due to poor mixing is not considered here.

Among the safety considerations for the Purex plant is the question of flammability limits for the diluent-air system. The present note attempts to delineate the temperature regions of concern by utilizing hydrocarbon flammability data available together with information on the vapor pressures of the systems.

The HRT refrigeration system was designed to use Freon-11 (CCI3F) as the refrigerant material in the secondary loop. A Van de Graaff irradiation of this material indicated that serious corrosion problems were probable if Freon were used in the proposed metal system. A survey was made of candidate refrigerants, and Amsco 125-82 and triethyl phosphate were selected for irradiation and physical-property determinations.

An easy experiment for undergraduate students to measure the mass and diameter of a copper atom can be performed with inexpensive apparatus normally available any college physics laboratory. By measuring the density and by copperplating, one can obtain results which are accurate to better than 5%.